We are ordaining and installing elders to office today. Prior to their being approved by the session for ordination, these persons were examined by the session
on their faith and knowledge. During such examinations, there is a question from
the Book of Order that I normally ask of “Elders-elect” when they are being examined for ordination. That question is this: “Who is the Head of the Church?” I normally ask that question, for that question is
one of the most important questions that you can be asked as a Christian. The
answer is that “Christ is the Head of
the Church.” However,
what does it mean that, “Christ is the Head of the Church?”
We all know that our arms and legs do not move constructively on their own accord. Instead, they look to our heads (brains) to give them directions as to how to move in a constructive manner.
In a like manner, the Church gains its directions from Jesus Christ, the “Head of the Church.”
How then do we know what is Christ’s will for the church? As Presbyterians, we believe that we know Christ’s will for the church:
through the study
of the Scriptures—
through the witness of those Christians that have
gone before us—
and through the Governing Body process.
1. As Presbyterians we are to seek Christ’s
will for the Church as revealed through the Scriptures.
· That is why we stress Bible study in our church’s
educational ministry. We are to provide a strong educational ministry for our
children and adults because we want our members to understand the Reformed faith.
· Further, we require our ministers to complete at
least three years of intensive graduate study prior to being ordained—study that includes the ability to read the scriptures
in the ancient Biblical Hebrew and Greek texts. We expect our ministers to be
teachers of the faith.
· Ruling Elders also are to continue to grow into
their own understanding of the faith, and to cultivate their ability to teach the faith.
We are to be “people of the Book”—the “Book” being the Bible. To be “people of the Book” we have to know and to understand the scriptures and our Presbyterian
beliefs. As Presbyterians, we believe that faith is not simply feelings—rather
faith likewise includes increasing knowledge and understanding. For Presbyterians,
faith involves both the heart and the head. As someone recently commented, “We do not check our heads at the door when
we enter the Presbyterian Church.” (Will McGarvey, Pittburg, CA)
2. We also need to acknowledge that our view of the
world always is limited by our own place in history. We therefore need to listen carefully to the witness of those Christians that have gone before us. We therefore have a Book of Confessions. Through it we “confess” who we are as the Church—what
we believe as the Church—and what we resolve to do as the Church. You probably are familiar with some of our confessions: The Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Westminster Confession and Catechisms. There are others—eleven confessions in all. All
of these eleven confessional statements together guide us in our study and interpretation of the Scriptures—and provide
direction for us as we share our faith with others.
3. We also
believe that through the lively exchange of ideas within the Governing Bodies of our denomination we can gain a clearer understanding
of Christ’s will for the church. Yet for some people, it
is distressing for church leaders to talk about emotionally charged issues. I
have even heard some people say that the great diversity of our denomination is a weakness—that it would be better if
we were more alike. Yet we Presbyterians
have never ever been alike! Even from the very beginning of the formation
of the Presbyterian Church in this country, we have differed with one another on theological and polity issues. Further, we Presbyterians have always disagreed on political
and social issues.
There have been Presbyterians in every political party, and every social movement that has swept through
our nation—liberal and conservative! Even today, if we get a large
group of Presbyterians together in a room—we will find Presbyterians on about every side of every issue! That is just who we are as Presbyterians! As we
debate issues, we simply need to keep looking to Jesus Christ to help us to discover the truth. In your bulletin there is an insert telling about the recent
meeting of the General Assembly in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. As Presbyterians, we are diverse peoples! We
always have been and we always will be. That is just whom we are!
Several years ago, the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic held its annual meeting at First Presbyterian Church, Concord, NC. At that meeting, Fahed Abu-Aked, a former Moderator of the
Presbyterian Church, was invited to preach. He began his sermon by reflecting
on the fact that assembled for worship that evening were African-Americans, Asians, Caucasians, and an Iraqi Pastor visiting
from Baghdad. Moreover, the preacher for the worship service
was a Palestinian, who had been elected as the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church.
To top it off, the procession into the sanctuary had been led by Scottish Bagpipers dressed in kilts. Only in the Presbyterian Church could one find that kind of diversity!
As American Presbyterians, we have appreciated that diversity since 1729!
Since Christ is the Head of the Church, the Church is to live as
a “community” of expectant believers. We all are a part of the “Master’s Plan” for all creation. The key component of that
“plan” is that Christ is sitting “at God’s right hand.”
Christ is not only above all earthly powers, but Christ is above all powers in the present and the future. No other power in the universe or outside the universe can stand between us, and God’s glorious plan
of salvation. Of course, Christ does not take away our fears when we are facing
evil in this world. Instead, Christ stands with us as we face evil in the world.
He declares that in the end he will be victorious over all that cripples human
life. Christ can be trusted not only for just the present. Christ can be trusted for all the futures that shall ever be.
John Buchanan, the Pastor of the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, tells the following story: It was Friday, September 14, 2001. John
Buchanan was a part of an ecumenical worship service that was held in the Fourth Presbyterian Church’s sanctuary. Participating in that service were several neighboring congregations—the Holy
Name Roman Catholic Cathedral, the Jewish Sinai Congregation, and Fourth Presbyterian Church. Like
us, all three of these congregations were reeling in the aftermath of what had happened only three days earlier—September
11th. That attack was unlike anything that we all had ever experienced before.
Thousands of our fellow American citizens had died, along with citizens of other
nations who happened to be visiting in the “Twin-Towers” that morning.
That evening, September 14th, the Presbyterian Church’s sanctuary was filled. People sat in folding chairs in every aisle, and some people even stood in the narthex. During the service John Buchanan gave a brief meditation, and the Catholic Priest said a few words. Then the Rabbi stood up to pray, and he did the most remarkable thing. He asked all those in the sanctuary to pray together, out-loud, and in the language of their own faith tradition.
The Jews were to pray the traditional Jewish prayers for the dead—and the
Christians were to pray a prayer taught to us by a Palestinian Jew, a prayer that we call the Lord’s Prayer. Soon the sounds of Hebrew and English began to be woven together, completely filling every “nook and
cranny” of the sanctuary. These prayers were prayers to the One God who
will never give up on us—the One God whose grace exceeds far more than we could ever imagine. Moreover, as Christians we believe that this “One God” has appointed his Son Jesus as the “Head
of the Church.” He grants us faith and courage even when we have to face
and challenge evil in our world.
The Brief Statement of Faith, our most recent confessional statement, puts it this way:
In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage
to pray without ceasing
to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior,
to unmask idolatries in Church and culture,
to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,
and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.
In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit,
We strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and
joyful lives,
even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth, praying,
“Come Lord Jesus!
…Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Amen”
